Evaluation of methods for the determination of chlorophenols in surface water

Three methods for the determination of chlorophenols in surface water have been evaluated. Two of them utilize solid phase extraction followed by derivatization either in aqueous phase or in organic solvent. The third method is based on liquid-liquid extraction with simultaneous in-situ derivatization. This method was found to be not applicable for samples of surface water. The surfactants present in the samples prevent the separation of the hexane layer at a ratio of 1 : 20 or higher. Both methods using solid phase extraction gave acceptable results; however, the derivatization in aqueous phase proved its priority.     

Determination of ammonium in aqueous samples using new headspace dynamic in-syringe liquid-phase microextraction with in situ derivitazation coupled with liquid chromatography–fluorescence detection

A new simultaneous derivatization and extraction method for the preconcentration of ammonia using new one-step headspace dynamic in-syringe liquid-phase microextraction with in situ derivatization was developed for the trace determination of ammonium in aqueous samples by liquid chromatography with fluorescence detection (LC–FLD). The acceptor phase (as derivatization reagent) containing o-phthaldehyde and sodium sulfite was held within a syringe barrel and immersed in the headspace of sample container. The gaseous ammonia from the alkalized aqueous sample formed a stable isoindole derivative with the acceptor phase inside the syringe barrel through the reciprocated movements of plunger. After derivatization-cum-extraction, the acceptor phase was directly injected into LC–FLD for analysis. Parameters affecting the ammonia evolution and the extraction/derivatization efficiency such as sample matrix, pH, temperature, sampling time, and the composition of derivatization reagent, reaction temperature, and frequency of reciprocated plunger, were studied thoroughly. Results indicated that the maximum extraction efficiency was obtained by using 100 μL derivatization reagent in a 1-mL gastight syringe under 8 reciprocated movements of plunger per min to extract ammonia evolved from a 20 mL alkalized aqueous solution at 70 °C (preheated 4 min) with 380 rpm stirring for 8 min. The detection was linear in the concentration range of 0.625–10 μM with the correlation coefficient of 0.9967 and detection limit of 0.33 μM (5.6 ng mL⁻¹) based on S N⁻¹ = 3. The method was applied successfully to determine ammonium in real water samples without any prior cleanup of the samples, and has been proved to be a simple, sensitive, efficient and cost-effective procedure for trace ammonium determination in aqueous samples.     

Determination of phenols and chlorophenols as trimethylsilyl derivatives using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry

A rapid and simple method is described for the simultaneous determination of 6 phenols (phenol, o-, m-, p-cresol, catechol and resorcinol) and 19 chlorophenols (all mono-, di-, tri-, and tetrachlorophenol isomers and pentachlorophenol) present in aqueous samples. The method is based on derivatization with trimethylsilyl-N,N-dimethylcarbamate (TMSDMC). In contrast to other derivatization agents, TMSDMC instantaneously reacts with the phenolic compounds at room temperature and no further sample processing is necessary prior to instrumental analysis. The determination of the derivatives was performed by capillary gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The stability of the most instable trimethylsilyl derivative (pentachlorophenol) was studied using different excess levels of the derivatization reagent. The derivatization method was tested on spiked water samples preconcentrated by solid phase extraction on Isolute ENV+ cartridge. The overall method gave detection limits of 0.01-0.25 microg/L for all compounds and < 0.05 microg/L for 17 of them.     

Selective determination of alkylmercury compounds in solid matrices after subcritical water extraction,followed by solid‐phase microextraction and GC–MS

A method for the extraction and determination of methylmercury (MeHg) in solid matrices is presented. Combining the advantages of two extraction techniques—subcritical water extraction (subWE) and solid‐phase microextraction (SPME)—selective separation of MeHg from soils is possible. The procedure is based on extraction with subcritical water without using organic solvents, followed by in situ aqueous‐phase derivatization with sodium tetraethylborate and headspace SPME with a silica fiber coated with poly(dimethylsiloxane). The optimization of the extraction parameters is described. The identification and quantification of the extracted alkylmercury compounds from spiked soil samples is performed by GC–MS after thermal desorption. Copyright © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Analysis of Six Phenolic Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals in Surface Water and Sediment

An efficient and reliable method based on gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS) was developed for the extraction and analysis of six phenolic endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs), such as 4-nonylphenol (4-NP), nonylphenol-mono-ethoxylate (NP1EO), nonylphenol-di-ethoxylate (NP2EO), 4-tert-octylphenol (4-t-OP), bisphenol A (BPA) and 4-cumylphenol (4-CP) in surface water and sediment. The method was developed by using microwave-assisted extraction (MAE), solid phase extraction (SPE) and derivatization procedure. The MAE procedures were performed by optimizing three key process factors, consisted of extraction solvent, extraction temperature and holding time, affecting the extraction efficiency from sediment samples. For SPE, various parameters that may affect the recovery efficiency of water samples, such as SPE phase cartridge, elution solvent, as well as pH of water samples, were investigated. A series of derivatization conditions, such as derivatization reagent, reaction temperature and reaction time, were improved. The method achieved good repeatability and reproducibility with relative standard deviations <13% for all target EDCs in the both samples. Satisfactory recoveries for spiked water and sediment samples ranged from 85 to 101% and 74 to 105%, respectively. The limits of quantification varied from 0.20 (4-t-OP) to 11.50 ng L^?1 (NP2EO) and from 0.31 (4-t-OP) to 9.50 ng g^?1 dry weight (dw) (NP2EO) for water samples and sediment samples, respectively. The established method was successfully applied to the analysis of target EDCs in surface water and sediment samples collected from Caohai site of Dianchi Lake, China. The results showed that NP1EO, NP2EO and BPA were the three dominant phenolic EDCs in the site, reaching 114, 97 and 149 ng L^?1 in surface water, while 444, 186 and 178 ng g^?1 dw in surface sediment, respectively.     

Optimisation of solvent desorption conditions for chemical warfare agent and simulant compounds from Porapak Q using experimental design. Part 2: Extraction of sulphur mustard from steel and glass Porapak tubes

The ion-pair solid-phase extraction (SPE) of 4-alkylphenols followed by derivatization with pentafluoropyridine is demonstrated. Under alkaline conditions, the 4-alkylphenols could be efficiently adsorbed on a C18 SPE cartridge conditioned with an ion-pair reagent, tetra-n-hexylammonium bromide. The ion pairs, ammonium phenolates, formed on the C18 solid phase, were eluted with a solvent containing the derivatizing reagent, pentafluoropyridine, and completely derivatized during the elution. After optimization of the adsorption and derivatization, we established a method for the determination of the 4-alkylphenols in water samples. The method showed good linearity between 20 and 1000 ng (200-10,000 ng for nonylphenol). By processing 20-ml samples, the method detection limits (MDL) were in the range of 5.2-8.9 ng/l for the 4-alkylphenols (76 ng/l for nonylphenol). To evaluate its applicability to a real aqueous matrix, several river water samples were analyzed.     

Solid‐phase Extraction Coupled Simple On‐line Derivatization Gas Chromatography – Tandem Mass Spectrometry for the Determination of Benzophenone‐type UV Filters in Aqueous Samples

The rapid determination of three benzophenone‐type UV filters: 2‐hydroxy‐4‐methoxy‐benzophenone (BP‐3), 2,4‐dihydroxybenzophenone (BP‐1) and 2,2′‐dihydroxy‐4‐methoxy‐benzophenone (BP‐8), in aqueous samples is described. The method involved the extraction of an aqueous sample using an Oasis HLB solid‐phase extraction (SPE) cartridge, followed by on‐line derivatization gas chromatography ‐ tandem mass spectrometry (GC‐MS/MS) with a trimethylsilylating (TMS) reagent. This eco‐friendly, injection‐port derivatization method, is sensitive, rapid, and provides reproducible results for these hydroxylated benzophenones in aqueous samples. The limits of quantitation (LOQs) were determined to be 1.0 to 2.5 ng/L for samples in 100 mL of water. The precision for these analytes, as indicated by relative standard deviations (RSDs), proved to be less than 11% for both intra‐ and inter‐day analysis. Accuracy, expressed as the mean extraction yield, was between 80 and 106%. The method was then applied to some environmental water samples, river water and samples of effluents from a wastewater treatment plant (WWTP), having the potential to contain BP‐3 and BP‐1.     

Dynamic ultrasound-assisted extraction coupled on-line with solid support derivatization and high-performance liquid chromatography for the determination of formaldehyde in textiles

An on-line method was developed for the extraction, derivatization and determination of formaldehyde in textile samples. Formaldehyde was first extracted with water by ultrasound assisted, and directly introduced into a derivatization column which was packed with a moderately sulfonated cation-exchange resin. The resin used as solid support for the derivatization was charged with 2,4-dinitrophenylhydrazine (DNPH) previously. The formaldehyde DNPH derivative was eluted with the chromatographic mobile phase into an analytical column for the separation, and then monitored by UV detector. The maximum extraction yield was achieved when the extraction vessel was located at 10mm from the ultrasonic source and 10mg textile sample was extracted with 5mL pure water at a flow rate of 1.0mLmin(-1) at 50 degrees C. The detection limit of the proposed method was 0.06mgkg(-1). This method was applied to the determination of formaldehyde in different textile samples, and compared with the state standard method (off-line spectrophotometry) used in China. The similar contents of formaldehyde were obtained for most samples by the two methods, but little higher for some samples obtained by the proposed method. The average relative standard deviation (RSD) obtained by the on-line method was 3.2% which is lower than 29.5% obtained by the standard method.     

Enantioselective analysis of ibuprofen, ketoprofen and naproxen in wastewater and environmental water samples

A highly sensitive and reliable method for the enantioselective analysis of ibuprofen, ketoprofen and naproxen in wastewater and environmental water samples has been developed. These three pharmaceuticals are chiral molecules and the variable presence of their individual (R)- and (S)-enantiomers is of increasing interest for environmental analysis. An indirect method for enantioseparation was achieved by the derivatization of the (R)- and (S)-enantiomers to amide diastereomers using (R)-1-phenylethylamine ((R)-1-PEA). After initial solid phase extraction from aqueous samples, derivatization was undertaken at room temperature in less than 5 min. Optimum recovery and clean-up of the amide diastereomers from the derivatization solution was achieved by a second solid phase extraction step. Separation and detection of the individual diastereomers was undertaken by gas chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (GC-MS/MS). Excellent analyte separation and peak shapes were achieved for the derivatized (R)- and (S)-enantiomers for all three pharmaceuticals with peak resolution, R(s) is in the range of 2.87-4.02 for all diastereomer pairs. Furthermore, the calibration curves developed for the (S)-enantiomers revealed excellent linearity (r(2) ≥ 0.99) for all three compounds. Method detection limits were shown to be within the range of 0.2-3.3 ng L(-1) for individual enantiomers in ultrapure water, drinking water, surface water and a synthetic wastewater. Finally, the method was shown to perform well on a real tertiary treated wastewater sample, revealing measurable concentrations of both (R)- and (S)-enantiomers of ibuprofen, naproxen and ketoprofen. Isotope dilution using racemic D(3)-ibuprofen, racemic D(3)-ketoprofen and racemic D(3)-naproxen was shown to be an essential aspect of this method for accurate quantification and enantiomeric fraction (EF) determination. This approach produced excellent reproducibility for EF determination of triplicate tertiary treated wastewater samples.     

Simultaneous derivatization and extraction of anilines in waste water with dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction followed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometric detection

The one-step derivatization and extraction technique for the determination of anilines in river water by dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction (DLLME) is presented. In this method the anilines are extracted by DLLME and derivatized with pentafluorobenzaldehyde (PFBAY) in aqueous solution simultaneously. In this derivatization/extraction method, 0.5 ml acetone (disperser solvent) containing 10 microl chlorobenzene (extraction solvent) and 30 g/l pentafluorobenzaldehyde (PFBAY) dissolved in methanol was rapidly injected by syringe into 5 ml aqueous sample (pH 4.6). Within 20 min the analytes extracted and derivatized were almost finished. After centrifugation, 2 microl sedimented phase containing enriched analytes was determined by GC-MS. The effects of extraction and disperser solvent type and their volume, pH value of sample solution, derivatization and extraction time, derivatization and extraction temperature were investigated. Linearity in this developed method was ranging from 0.25 to 70 microg/l, and the correlation coefficients (R2) were between 0.9955 and 0.9989, and reasonable reproducibility ranging from 5.8 to 11.8% (n=5). Method detection limits (MDLs) ranged from 0.04 to 0.09 microg/l (n=5).     

Development of a quantitative high-performance thin-layer chromatographic method for sucralose in sewage effluent, surface water, and drinking water

Sucralose, a persistent chlorinated substance used as sweetener, can already be found in waste water, and various countries focused on the release of sucralose into the aquatic environment. A quantitative high-performance thin-layer chromatography (HPTLC) method, which is orthogonal to existing methods, was developed to analyze sucralose in water. After sample preparation, separation of up to 17 samples was performed in parallel on a HPTLC plate silica gel 60 F(254) with a mixture of isopropyl acetate, methanol and water (15:3:1, v/v/v) within 15 min. Due to the weak native UV absorption of sucralose (≤200 nm), various post-chromatographic derivatization reactions were compared to selectively detect sucralose in effluent and surface water matrices. Thereby p-aminobenzoic acid reagent was discovered as a new derivatization reagent for sucralose. Compared to the latter and to β-naphthol, derivatization with aniline diphenylamine o-phosphoric acid reagent was slightly preferred and densitometry was performed by absorbance measurement at 400 nm. The limit of quantification (LOQ) of sucralose in drinking and surface water was calculated to be 100 ng/L for a given recovery rate of 80% and the extraction of a 0.5 L water sample. The sucralose content determined in four water samples obtained during an interlaboratory trial in 2008 was in good agreement to the mean laboratory values of that trial. According to the t-test, which compares the results with the target value, the means obtained by HPTLC were not significantly different from the respective means of six laboratories, analyzed by HPLC-MS/MS or HPLC-TOF-MS with the use of mostly isotopically labeled standards. The good accuracy and high sample throughput capacity proved HPTLC as a well suited method regarding quantification of sucralose in various aqueous matrices.     

Evaluation of different derivatization methods for the multi-element detection of Hg, Pb and Sn compounds by gas chromatography-microwave induced plasma-atomic emission spectrometry in environmental samples

A multi-element, element-specific detector for gas chromatography (GC) based on atomic emission spectroscopy (AES) with a microwave induced plasma (MIP) source was tested on some environmental samples. As derivatization procedure, direct aqueous phase ethylation and chelation/extraction followed by Grignard reaction were tested on the following ions: methylmercury, ethylmercury, phenylmercury, mercury(II), trimethyllead, dimethyllead, lead(II), trimethyltin, dimethyltin, triethyltin, tripropyltin, tributyltin, dibutyltin, butyltin, and tin(IV). For mercury species a direct aqueous phase phenylation was successfully tested. The different methods of derivatization are compared, and the performance (sensitivity, linearity) of the GC-MIP-AES system is discussed. Some examples of application to environmental samples (biological tissues) are given.     

Determination of chlorophenols in water samples using simultaneous dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction and derivatization followed by gas chromatography-electron-capture detection

Simultaneous dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction (DLLME) and derivatization combined with gas chromatography-electron-capture detection (GC-ECD) was used to determine chlorophenols (CPs) in water sample. In this derivatization/extraction method, 500 microL acetone (disperser solvent) containing 10.0 microL chlorobenzene (extraction solvent) and 50 microL acetic anhydride (derivatization reagent) was rapidly injected by syringe in 5.00 mL aqueous sample containing CPs (analytes) and K(2)CO(3) (0.5%, w/v). Within a few seconds the analytes derivatized and extracted at the same time. After centrifugation, 0.50 microL of sedimented phase containing enriched analytes was determined by GC-ECD. Some effective parameters on derivatization and extraction, such as extraction and disperser solvent type and their volume, amount of derivatization reagent, derivatization and extraction time, salt addition and amount of K(2)CO(3) were studied and optimized. Under the optimum conditions, enrichment factors and recoveries are in the range of 287-906 and 28.7-90.6%, respectively. The calibration graphs are linear in the range of 0.02-400 microg L(-1) and limit of detections (LODs) are in the range of 0.010-2.0 microg L(-1). The relative standard deviations (RSDs, for 200 microg L(-1) of MCPs, 100 microg L(-1) of DCPs, 4.00 microg L(-1) of TCPs, 2.00 microg L(-1) of TeCPs and PCP in water) with and without using internal standard are in the range of 0.6-4.7% (n=7) and 1.7-7.1% (n=7), respectively. The relative recoveries of well, tap and river water samples which have been spiked with different levels of CPs are 91.6-104.7, 80.8-117.9 and 83.3-101.3%, respectively. The obtained results show that simultaneous DLLME and derivatization combined with GC-ECD is a fast simple method for the determination of CPs in water samples.     

A headspace SPME-GC-ECD method suitable for determination of chlorophenols in water samples

A headspace solid phase microextraction coupled to gas chromatography with electron capture detector (HS-SPME-GC-ECD) method was optimized for the determination of seven chlorophenols (CPs) with different levels of chlorination. This is the first time that HS-SPME-GC-ECD with acetylation of the analytes is used for the simultaneous determination of CPs in water samples. The influence of fibre type, derivatization conditions, salt addition, temperature and time of extraction and temperature of desorption was checked. Possible sources of contamination and analyte losses were considered. The best results were obtained with the polydimethylsiloxane/divinylbenzene fibre, derivatization by acetylation using 100 μL of acetic anhydride and 0.1 g of anhydrous sodium carbonate per 10 mL of sample, salt addition of 100 g L⁻¹ sodium chloride, extraction at 70 °C for 60 min and desorption in the GC injector at 260 °C for 6 min. The limits of detection (LOD) for monochlorophenols were 12 and 122 ng L⁻¹ for 2-chlorophenol and 4-chlorophenol, respectively. For polychlorinated CPs, the LODs were lower than 6 ng L⁻¹, values similar to the existing methods that use SPME with derivatization for CPs determination in water samples. The method is suitable for the determination of CPs in most environmental aqueous samples. Repeatability and reproducibility were less than 16.8% and 11.7%, respectively. The optimized method was successfully applied for the analysis of waters with complex matrices such as river and estuarine water samples.     

Full automatic determination of chlorophenols in water using solid-phase microextraction/on-fiber derivatization and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry

A fully automated combination of solid-phase microextraction and on-fiber derivatization coupled with gas chromatography-mass spectrometry was developed to determine 17 chlorophenols in aqueous samples. Optimal parameters for the automated process, such as fiber coating (polyacrylate), derivatization reagent (N,O-bis(trimethylsilyl) trifluoroacetamide), extraction time (60 min), derivatization time (5 min), incubation temperature (35°C), sample pH (3), and ionic strength (300 g L(-1) of NaCl), as well as desorption time (5 min) and desorption temperature (270°C) were established. The whole procedure took only 90 min and was performed automatically. The shortcomings of silylation derivatives, like incompleteness and instability, were overcome by using solid-phase microextraction on-fiber silylation in this study. The results from both pure water and river water samples showed that the method had a good linearity (r(2) = 0.9993-1.0000), ranging from 0.01 to 100 μg L(-1). The related standard deviations were between 3.6 and 10.0%. The limits of detections and qualifications ranged from 0.03 to 3.11 ng L(-1) and 0.09 to 10.4 ng L(-1) for the CPs, respectively. The proposed method is superior to traditional solid phase extraction procedure.     

Tosylation of endocrine-disruptive alkylphenolic compounds in a solid-phase reaction system consisting of C18-modified silica gel and aqueous buffer solution

The tosylation reaction of endocrine-disruptive alkylphenolic compounds in a solid-phase aqueous system was investigated with the aim of developing an environment-friendly and efficient derivatization method for HPLC analyses of environmental samples. The phenols were rapidly and efficiently converted to the tosyl derivatives on a commercially available ODS solid-phase cartridge by passing an aqueous buffer solution through it. The solid-phase aqueous tosylation system has been incorporated into a preconcentration step performed by solid-phase extraction from environmental water.     

固相萃取-分散液液微萃取-柱前衍生法测定水样中痕量雌激素

建立了碳纳米管的固相萃取-分散液液微萃取-柱前荧光衍生化(SPE-DLLME-PFD)测定水体中痕量雌三醇(E3)、双酚A(BPA)、17α-乙炔基雌二醇(EE2)及17β-雌二醇(E2)的高效液相色谱方法.采用中心复合设计和响应曲面法分析并优化SPE、DLLME及PLD条件,最佳条件为210 mL水样以2.0 mL/min的流速过固相萃取柱(碳纳米管量30 mg),甲醇洗脱,氮气浓缩并定容至0.6 mL(分散剂),将100 μL C6MIM[PF6]与分散剂的混合液注入到NaCl含量为25％的2.0 mL去离子水中,离心,移取20 μL下层有机相于样品瓶中,与4.0 mg衍生剂混合,在40℃水浴中衍生25 min;用0.1mL甲醇溶解过量的衍生剂颗粒,取20 μL进样分析.在优化条件下.4种雌激素的线性范围为0.05～5.00 μg/L,相关系数R2=0.9966～0.9999;,检出限介于0.13～6.33 ng/L(S/N=3)之间.不同加标浓度条件下,雌激素的加标回收率在83.1％～122.4％范围内(RSD=1.7％～9.6％).在实际水样中E3和BPA检出率较高.与其它方法相比,本方法虽然萃取时间长、水样量大、步骤多,但具有检出限低、操作简便、环境友好等优点.     

Simultaneous derivatization and extraction of chlorophenols in water samples with up-and-down shaker-assisted dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction coupled with gas chromatography/mass spectrometric detection

A new up-and-down shaker-assisted dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction (UDSA-DLLME) for extraction and derivatization of five chlorophenols (4-chlorophenol, 4-chloro-2-methylphenol, 2,4-dichlorophenol, 2,4,6-trichloro-phenol, and pentachlorophenol) has been developed. The method requires minimal solvent usage. The relatively polar, water-soluble, and low-toxicity solvent 1-heptanol (12 μL) was selected as the extraction solvent and acetic anhydride (50 μL) as the derivatization reagent. With the use of an up-and-down shaker, the emulsification of aqueous samples was formed homogeneously and quickly. The derivatization and extraction of chlorophenols were completed simultaneously in 1 min. The common requirement of disperser solvent in DLLME could be avoided. After optimization, the linear range covered over two orders of magnitude, and the coefficient of determination (r ²) was greater than 0.9981. The detection limit was from 0.05 to 0.2 μg L^?1, and the relative standard deviation was from 4.6 to 10.8 %. Real samples of river water and lake water had relative recoveries from 90.3 to 117.3 %. Other emulsification methods such as vortex-assisted, ultrasound-assisted, and manual shaking-enhanced ultrasound-assisted methods were also compared with the proposed UDSA-DLLME. The results revealed that UDSA-DLLME performed with higher extraction efficiency and precision compared with the other methods.     

Filter‐based emulsification microextraction as an efficient method for the determination of chlorophenols by gas chromatography

In this work, an efficient microextraction method was applied for the extraction of some chlorophenols in water samples. This method, termed filter‐based emulsification microextraction, is based on the dispersion of an extractant into an aqueous sample solution to accelerate the extraction process and the utilization of a Nylon syringe filter to break the emulsion. After phase separation, the method is coupled with gas chromatography as a final analyzer instrument. The overall derivatization/extraction time was about 90 s. The proposed method is centrifuge‐free, and it also provides a suitable sample clean‐up by filtration of the extracting phase. The effective parameters involved in the extraction method were optimized. Under the optimal experimental conditions, the method provided a good linearity in the range of 2.0–2000 ng/mL, extraction repeatabilities (relative standard deviations) below 9.4%, enrichment factors of 180–203, and limits of detection between 0.5 and 1.2 ng/mL.     

Dispersive derivatization liquid-liquid extraction of degradation products/precursors of mustards and V-agents from aqueous samples

A new derivatization and extraction technique termed as dispersive derivatization liquid-liquid extraction (DDLLE) speeds up the analysis process by removing the requirement for drying of the sample. The derivatization process takes place at the interface between the analyte containing aqueous phase and derivatization agent laden organic phase. The organic phase is highly dispersed using disperser solvent so that the total surface area is large. The derivatizing agent used is 1-(heptafluorobutyryl)imidazole and the resulting heptafluorobutyryl (HFB) derivatized analytes are partitioned into the organic phase. In addition to reduced sample preparation time, for some of the analytes, the HFB derivatives provide better spectral differentiation between isomers than conventional trimethylsilyl (TMS) derivatives. Method parameters for the DDLLE, such as extraction, and disperser solvent and their volume, type and amount of base, amount of heptafluorobutyrylimidazole and extraction time were optimized on diisopropylaminoethanol (DiPAE), ethyldiethanolamine (EDEA), triethanolamine (TEA) and thiodiglycol (TDG). The DDLLE was also used on various real world samples, which also includes few OPCW organized proficiency test and a spiked urine sample. The observed limit of detection (LOD) with 1mL of sample for DDLLE in full scan with AMDIS was 10ng/mL and with methane chemical ionization, multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) was 100pg/mL, i.e., 100fg on-column.